Hall of Fame Coach Bill Cowher says often that there are three emotional states in football; Glad, Mad, and Sad. Then he quickly adds, “Never waste time on Sad. It does no good.” Glad was so last year. Mad is this whole year in a nutshell. And, Sad is tough to avoid despite best efforts. All during the Snyder years the few periods of positivity were always accompanied by the anticipation of the other shoe dropping. It almost always did. That old feeling came back last week watching the Sunday Brunch game against the talented, but basically dysfunctional Miami Dolphins. The sour ending seemed unavoidable. It was a bad taste to leave on the palette as the team went on a one-week hiatus. Steering clear of Sad required actual effort. So, the season has gone to full Zombie mode as the full gauntlet of good teams await on the schedule. Perhaps it is best to take advantage of the WFT theater being dark and look around the League.
Of Geese and Golden Eggs
The NFL has a greed problem. They face the unlikely business model prospect of barely being able to do something stupid without facing financial ruin. A monopoly on a product with seemingly endless demand will produce such a rare set of circumstances. Without doubt from this quarter the worst of the worst such insipid decisions is the Thursday Night Football game. Players come into the game with 3-full days of rest after being pounded on a Sunday. Think back to Week#2: Washington played on Sunday; Film study on Monday; Walkdown on Tuesday; On the plane Wednesday; Game time. More than one Doctor has stated that the impact of an NFL game is not dissimilar to being in a car accident. Three-days later and they’re back being crash test dummies. But, hey, the League is all about player safety. Wink, wink.
Thursday Night games are typically poor-quality football. The Amazon production is OK. Kirk Herbstreit and his dog should stay in his lane at college football. And, whoever is selling Al Michaels his hair dye is making some good coin. But, those are nitpicks compared to the lousy on-field product. This last game between Houston and Buffalo was hard to watch. Buffalo’s Offensive Line was completely gassed early. There was a waiting line for the Blue Tent. The Bills’ season is in serious jeopardy. Had the game been played on regular rest would the amount of injuries been less? That’s the question the empty suits at NFL Headquarters will not ask. They are too busy counting Shekels.
Here’s a fix (that has absolutely no chance of going anywhere). Team “A” does not play on the Sunday before a Thursday Night game. It enters the game as the Away team. Then, Team A stays on Thursday night for the next game as the Home team. Then the team gets the extra days off before the following game. What results is the Away squad on extra rest entering the game while the Home team is on regular rest. Aside from providing rest this would help with the Home vs Away disparity of the Thursday Night affairs. Right now it stands at 9-3 for the Home teams. Something about getting on that flight doesn’t help a team perform. This would really work well with the upcoming 18-game schedule. Instead of an additional regular Bye Week the team would get that long break coming into Thursday Night Football.
There is absolutely no chance of this happening.
Chiefs Cratering?
All those sticking hatpins into a Patrick Mahomes or Travis Kelce doll have been waiting for this year. The accumulation of prime time and extra games have apparently caught up with the media darlings. Last week their Defensive Line looked their age. Being at Mile-High altitude didn’t help things. The haters are having a field day. When Referee Adrian Hill injured his leg in Thursday Night’s game one commenter observed that Kansas City lost its best player.
This week they face the surprising Colts. The horseshoes are a team that can run the rock. The game is in KC which raises the intrigue level. Should the Chiefs lose they may well miss the playoffs. Perhaps the window is closing.
Daniel Jones, the Colts QB ended up on the Injured list with a “Calf.” Those are tricky injuries. If he’s out the position goes to 6-th Round Pick Rookie Riley Leonard. The Colts’ miracle would be in serious trouble.
One thing to watch is Indy’s Defense. Their D-Coordinator is one Lou Anarumo. He orchestrated Cincinnati’s win over KC in the 2022 AFC Conference Championship. Andy Reid is on record saying he dreads facing Lou’s Defenses. That’s with good reason.
Da’ Bears
This one will be interesting. The Bears have a record of 7-3. They have played all of 1-game against a currently qualifying Playoff team. It has been a most favorable schedule so far. Not only for allowing them to accumulate wins, but also providing time to get their act together for the stretch run against good teams: PIT, PHI, GB, CLE, GB, SF, DET. Do they get to ten-wins?
Pittsburgh comes in with Aaron Rodgers nursing a fractured left wrist. Will he even play? Mason Rudolph is equally functional at this point in AP’s career. And, Chicago is going to be without all three of their Starting Linebackers.
Unfortunately, both these games are on at the same time: 1:00pm Sunday.
Green Bay Crossroads
Yet another 1:00 pm game is the Vikings at Green Bay. The Vikings are in next-year mode. Their gamble to feature JJ McCarthy while letting Sam Darnold walk is not looking particularly efficacious at the moment. Their Coach is a Quarterback Whisperer. Perhaps JJ will develop. He needs to do so to keep the Purple faithful from revolt.
Speaking of revolt there already is one going on in Green Bay. The team has lost its last two-games at Lambeau Field. Nothing is wrong with the Defense. Combined in the two-losses the Defense surrendered 26-points. But, the Offense scored only 20-points. Jordan Love is another QB on a second contract that only shows he’s worth the money on occasion. He really has a penchant for bad plays in big moments. If they lose today the cries for Matt LeFleur’s head will get deafening in Cheese Head Land.
If you own three TVs or can get all three of these games on a Sunday Ticket split screen today at 1:00 pm should be fun.
How ’bout them Cowboys!
All it took was one game against a bad Offensive team for the Cowboy die-hards to emerge from under the wall trim and make their presence known. One radio call-in fan said that he was following the Yellow Brick Road to the Super Bowl as he clicked his heels together three times. The source of all this enthusiasm is the addition of several Defensive players. Cowboy fans aren’t particularly good at slowing their roll.
The matchup today at 4:25 pm in Dallas is very intriguing. Philadelphia keeps winning with a very stout Defense and a sputtering Offense. Dallas is the opposite: Their Offense is terrific, especially in the passing game. Their Defense has been atrocious. But, now it’s been fortified with the addition of Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson. A PHI win and Dallas is dead and stinkin’. A Dallas win and there is a chance for them to win 5 of the last 6 to sneak into a Wild Card. The schedule is not a cream puff. But it isn’t completely brutal either: PHI, KC, DET, MIN, LAC, WFT, and NYG.
A big conundrum for Dallas is payroll. (This is a recurring theme.) George Pickens has erupted in this Offense. Last week when he score a TD he made the Dollar Sign. He’s going to get paid. But, will it be there or somewhere else? It’s always a feature of Jerry’s World to (over)pay Offensive players while throwing leftovers to the Defense. This will make for an interesting off-season for them.
Buccaneers and Rams on Sunday Night Football should be really interesting. The Rams could be the team to take down the Eagles. They’re good. Tampa is battered. Carolina, of all teams has awoken from hibernation and is hard on Tampa’s heels. Bryce Young, the so-called “Little Little Man” threw for nearly 500-yards last week. On the third try the franchise got a coach that connected with him. It should be a decent game. Should Carolina win while Tampa loses it’s Game On in the NFC South.
Speaking of Sunday Night Football, the Bye Week ends for the WFT next Sunday night against the surging Denver Broncos. Enjoy the quiet away from Mad and/or Sad while you can.
TV Coverage Map
Here is a link to the TV Coverage Map for today’s games.
